Zebra Mussels; Someone Step Forward.

[Waxman]

Zebra Mussels are a real and present threat to our most precious resource; WATER.

Our industry would greatly benefit if we could somehow get it together on an industry-wide, self-service carwash level and implement a chemical/process/tracking system for boat and trailer decontamination.

Individuals have done studies on charity carwash runoff and its harmful effects on wildlife and water supply. This was a big and important step that has definitely benefitted society as well as the environment.

How about a chemical company stepping forward to develop and offer an anti-fungal/decontamination chemical that SS carwashes could downstream with hot water to kill Zebra Mussels?

We could all offer this on the SS selector dial and folks could decontaminate their boats and trailers themselves and help prevent the spread of this invasive species.

I offer the boatwashing/decontamination process at my wash in conjunction w/ a state agency and we have a specific protocol that is in place and does work. However, I am thinking of a way for the public to perform the task themselves at SS carwashes that could somehow make this idea a workable, feasible idea.

I am aware there are obvious challenges to implementing this idea, but are they so great that they cannot be overcome? I don't think so.

What are your thoughts on this idea?

 

[bigleo48]

Waxman,

My wash is in a community in the 1000 Islands Area of the mighty St-Lawrence River. The whole zebra mussels thing hit here about 10 years ago or so. Initially they spread like wildfire and then kinda maxed themselves out. They really cleaned the river and visibility when to about 30 feet!

Nobody has really spoken about it for years now and the signs that existed about boat and trailer cross-waterway contamination disappeared. So no longer a big enough issue here to warrant a spot on my SS dial.

I do not discourage boats in my SS (as everyone has one around here it seems), however I find myself explaining to people why my soaps don't work well on algae, mussels and the like. As you know you need a strong acid to dislodge those and not something I can put on the dial. Also the soaps don't do well on aluminum and gel coat surfaces as they are very different to clear-coat paints.

Big

 

[mac]

Simply come up with a tasty recipe for them, like someone did for chicken wings, and the problem will go away.

 

[Jimmys]

Well I wasnt around when these posts were made. I 'm a newbe,(6months) but am very interested in this topic.
1. It is something I can do for the enviroment
2. It can help people decontaminate their boats
3. It could make me a hero in my town, as well as keep my car wash VERY busy.

I have been reading everything I could on this subject and it seems pretty simple to me.
Two things kill the mussels. Hot Water(above 140%) and potassium cloride.

I already installed a potassium cloride infuser. That is to say I put in a second soft water system, and will use potassium chloride that I buy at Home Depot. Yes that is the "other stuff" they soften water with. I would just change to it but it is $22 a bag rather than $4 for the salt.

It takes as little as 100ppm to kill the mussels and I am "infusing" 800 ppm into the water. YES it is safe to drink! It is just soft water!! I am also "infusing" 800ppm of sodeium chloride in the rest of the water, since I am a 100% soft water wash as I am sure the most of you are.

Next I am going to connect the water heater that has never been connected since we are here in arrizona and havent seen a freeze in the past 100 years.

OK........so tell me why this won't work (like my wife and son have told me)This really seems like a no brainer. My only concern is the city might get their panties in a wad with all these mussels being flushed down the sewer, but in ALL my reading I can not find one instance where they have invaided the sanitary sewers(I never have understood why they call them sanitary sewers, seems they are quite unsanitary to me . In storm drains the mussels have been a problem but I could not find a single problem in sewers.

 

[Jimmys]

Waxman,
I read what you had to say and am curious what kind of setup you have to decontaminate. Also what kind of "relationship" is it you have with your state? How is it working out?

Thanks
Jim